Outcast (The Friessen Legacy Series, Book 2), A Western Romance

by Lorhainne Eckhart

  “I told you before not to touch me. I will not be your whore. And I will never allow you to ever treat me like you did when you tossed me out as a child.” She shoved him again when she scrambled to her feet and started toward the path that would take her back to her SUV. But she didn’t get far before he grabbed her coat and held on.

  “Whoa, there. I’ll take you back to your car. You’re not walking through the woods by yourself. This is my land, and I make the rules here. And while you’re here, you’ll do what I say.” He started off, pulling her with him.

  “Andy, I can walk by myself. I don’t need you taking me anywhere.” She tried to yank her coat away, but his hold was too strong.

  He opened the passenger door of his Corvette. “No, Diana, you listen to me. I’ll take you back to your car. But if I ever catch you on my property again, you will find yourself flat on your back, stripped naked, getting just what you asked for.”

  Chapter 20

  By the time Jed pulled in, it was late afternoon. He slammed the door and strode into his house. Diana was eating a ham and cheese sandwich and sipping the coffee she’d been denied earlier, and she was sitting on the board that served as her front step. She still felt as if a storm had tossed her around, and her muscles had no starch in them. She’d changed out of her earlier jeans, which were still damp from rolling on the ground with Andy, and she realized that if she wanted to get answers and justice for Louisa, she was going to have to stay away from him. When he threatened something, it was never on a whim, and she could bet he’d follow through on everything he promised. She had no intention of becoming his latest conquest. What made it worse was that her traitorous body craved his touch.

  When he’d taken her to her SUV, she leaped out before he could come around, and she’d patted her pocket, panicked for a second when she didn’t immediately feel her keys. But when she shoved her hand in the other pocket, they were there. She unlocked her door and slid in, but he grabbed her door before she could shut it.

  “I meant what I said, Diana. Don’t think you have me fooled for a second. You’re up to something. I can smell it. And I will find out.”

  She managed to pull the door closed and lock it, and she started her vehicle even when he pounded on her window. Her hands were shaking when she pulled away. Thankfully he hadn’t come after her. She didn’t know what she’d do if he showed up here at Jed’s.

  Diana finished her sandwich and started to the house to rinse out her cup. Jed yanked open the door and jumped down. His face was heavily shadowed from not shaving.

  “Jed, what did the sheriff say?”

  He gazed at her with a hardness that she couldn’t read, and she wondered if he knew. Maybe Andy had called and told him what a tease she was, coming on to him again, even though that wasn’t true. The man had a way of hiding everything from someone when he wanted to. She’d seen the best lawyers out there mask everything right before they swept the rug right out from under her, but they had nothing on Jed. And that terrified her.

  “He’s on his way out.” He must have seen the way Diana flinched when a bone-chilling fear squeezed the breath from her. “That’s the second time I’ve seen you react like that when I’ve mentioned the sheriff. Mind telling me what that’s about?” he asked as he stepped closer to her.

  “He terrifies me. When I was thirteen, he grabbed me from bed and dragged me downstairs and tossed me outside. And every time I looked up, he was leering at me as if he enjoyed what he’d done. Jed, I don’t want to be here when he comes.” Her hands were trembling again.

  “Diana, this is not the same sheriff as then. This is a new guy voted in, young, honest. He’s not the old guy you remember.” Jed rested his large hand on her shoulder. “You’re trembling.” He pulled her into his arms, and she rested her cheek against his hard chest, listening to the heavy thump of his heart, feeling where his large hands rubbed her back and held her tight. He didn’t try to kiss her, to touch her anywhere else.

  Diana grabbed his shirt when she heard a car pull in. She felt her insides jump when she saw the sheriff slip out of the patrol car, tall and solid and very young for a sheriff, with baby blue eyes and short blond hair beneath his hat. Jed didn’t push away but wrapped his arm around her shoulder, tucking her close to him. She went with it, feeling his support and wanting it.

  “Sheriff, thanks for coming.” Jed motioned toward the corral. The sheriff paused and glanced at Diana, his tanned face hard as stone and just as unreadable.

  “Ma’am.” He nodded, and Diana hoped she was successful at putting up a calm face, because she was trembling inside, worried just having him here.

  Jed squeezed her shoulders, and when she glanced up, she realized she wasn’t hiding it from him. She followed Jed as he showed the sheriff the tracks and where the horses were.

  “And you two saw nothing, heard nothing?”

  “No, nothing. I woke Diana after I discovered they were gone. Been looking for them, but seen no sign of them.”

  Diana realized he had given the sheriff the impression she was sleeping with him, and not in the cabin beside the house. Instead of saying otherwise, she recognized Jed had done it for a reason. With her not inside with him, the sheriff could easily say she’d been part of letting the horses go. She realized that now. If this sheriff was like Sheriff McCarty, the old fart who’d tossed her out as a kid, then he could waste a lot of time shifting the blame on Diana instead of looking for the horses and who had really taken them.

  “Well, all I can do, Jed, is put word out. Look around. You been having trouble with anyone lately? Any threats that could give me an idea where to start?”

  “Yeah, you can start with my uncle Todd and cousin Andy,” Jed answered with a hint of sarcasm.

  That got the sheriff’s attention, as his eyes widened, staring at Jed in a way that was all cop. “Now why would I want to do that?”

  “Because they’ve been trying to drive Diana out of town since she got here, making things real difficult for her all over town, which I’ve no doubt you’ve heard. I paid my family a visit and gave them a warning that if they didn’t back off, it’d become my fight and my war. I don’t take kindly to someone I care about being harassed,” Jed said, looking at the sheriff.

  The sheriff took another look at Diana and nodded. “You do look like your mama.”

  Diana felt her blood chill and knew that Jed was watching her, too.

  The sheriff’s face softened. “I remember that night and what happened to you kids. I was just a kid myself, first year as deputy, and I could barely hold a gun. Wasn’t right what happened and what the sheriff ordered us to do. I remembered you bleeding, stepping on something that cut your foot. All I could do then was give you my handkerchief to wrap around it. Wish I could have done more.”

  Diana didn’t know what to say as she listened to this man, the sheriff, speak of that night, a nightmare to her, in a kind way. Somehow, his sympathetic response lessened the ache of the horror replaying over and over in her mind.

  “If you can give me a description or even a photo of those two horses, I’ll go pay a visit to Todd and Andy, check out their stables.”

  “In my office in the barn, I have photos.…”

  “Jed,” she interrupted, “I already went to their stable this morning after you left. I thought Andy was responsible.”

  Jed stared at her with those hard, unreadable eyes, but then he grabbed her arms as if realizing something else, and his face darkened. “Why would you do a foolish thing like that? Wait, you walked in there and they let you?”

  Diana glanced sheepishly at the ground, her face warming. She knew the sheriff was watching and listening to every word. “No, I parked off the highway by our old burned-out shack and cut through the woods, going in the back way. I went in the barn and looked at all the stalls. The horses weren’t there, Jed,” she said smoothly, and Jed watched her, knowing there was more.

  “And? Come on, Diana. I know there’s more you’re not saying.
” Jed gave her an irritated glance.

  “Andy caught me. He drove me back to my SUV.” She said nothing else, but the way Jed’s cheek twitched let her know he had a few other things to say. For her benefit, he glanced back at the sheriff and held his tongue.

  “Diana, that was a stupid thing to do, and if Todd or Andy wanted to press charges against you for trespassing, they’d be well within their rights,” the sheriff said, laying into her.

  “He won’t, and the horses aren’t there. But I’m not convinced they aren’t responsible. They could be hidden anywhere, and you know as well as I, Sheriff, that if Andy or Todd ordered someone in this county to take them, it would be done, and you won’t find them.”

  “Well, that doesn’t give us many leads.” The sheriff closed his notebook and issued Diana a stern warning before following Jed into the barn. “Diana, if you want to stay in this county, then I wouldn’t start provoking Andy and Todd Friessen. Stay away from them. And stay off their property.”

  Chapter 21

  After the sheriff left, she was sure Jed was going to tear a strip off her. But he coolly walked away and started into his truck.

  She called out to him. “Jed, nothing happened.”

  He turned and faced her with a sadness she’d not seen before, and it shredded her heart to think she could do that to another person. But what hurt even more was the fact that someone cared for her this much, and she could hurt them. She didn’t quite know how to handle it.

  “Diana, I want to believe you. You know how I feel: I won’t play second. And I won’t allow a woman to play me.” He climbed into his truck and pulled the door shut, leaving Diana standing there watching as he drove away.

  Diana didn’t have much time to brood, but what she really wanted to do was kick herself in the backside. Her cell phone rang from where it had been shoved in her SUV. She yanked open the door and grabbed it on the third ring before it went to voicemail, setting her empty coffee cup on the seat.

  “Diana here.” She was breathless from running.

  “Diana … this is Bonnie.” It sounded as if she was crying. “I know I’m probably the last person you want to hear from. And I’m sorry for what I said. You were right about everything. I’ve had time to think. I’d like to leave, if you’d help, and see if Andy would pay a settlement, and then I’ll move on.”

  Diana gripped her phone and shut her eyes. Against her better judgment, she replied, “Okay, let me talk with Andy and see what I can do. But I’m warning you, Bonnie, no games.”

  She really was crying, as she sniffed loudly on the other end. “Thank you, Diana, and I am sorry for what I said.”

  Maybe it was curiosity that had her asking, “Bonnie, you said something when I was there about my mother drugging Todd. What was that about?” There was a few seconds of silence on the other end before Bonnie answered.

  “Well, yes. Todd told me a while back what she’d done. I think back now and I’m pretty sure it was a warning to me. He said she tried to say she was pregnant and it was his, but he’d laughed and told her he took care of that problem long ago, that no woman would ever have anything on him and only one was good enough to have his kid. Apparently, she slipped him something in a drink, and when he woke up, Andy had already been set loose.” Bonnie sighed on the other end. “Look, Diana whatever your mama did was pretty bad, but Andy doing what he did to you kids, that wasn’t okay. And I know there are a few folks around who also believe it wasn’t right. But they’ll never say it. Folks around here are scared. They don’t want to shake things up. They’re looking to protect themselves. I sure found out that no one likes to take a stand for the underdog. They would just as soon you go away than stir things up. So I’m leaving.”

  Diana sighed, trying to formulate a plan. “Bonnie, let me see what I can do. How soon are you planning on leaving?” Diana reached for a pen tucked in her center console and the pad of paper she always kept there, as well.

  “Andy was here this morning, all fired up, and he said I have until tonight to be gone from town.” Bonnie’s voice caught, and she whimpered.

  A tide of pain swept over Diana. Her stomach knotted when that all-too-familiar memory consumed her. It could still bring her to her knees, remembering the horror she’d lived through that dark night when she’d been dragged from bed and thrown out. It was a fate she wouldn’t wish on her worst enemy, but yet she pictured the same horror happening to Bonnie. And she wouldn’t stand for it.

  “Don’t worry, Bonnie. I’ll get back to you before the day is out.”

  She hung up the phone and went inside her cabin, changing into her dark pantsuit and flats and putting on a light touch of makeup, powder, blush, and ChapStick, just so she didn’t appear washed out. Then she brushed her long, tangled hair until it shone and the unruly waves became manageable, and she tied it back in a ponytail and hurried to her vehicle. She stopped and glanced at the empty spot where Jed’s truck should have been. Oh Lord, she needed to tell Jed. It wasn’t right for her to go and say nothing. She owed him more, so she scribbled a note for him and tucked it in the front door, praying he’d see it and understand why.

  Then she slid in under the steering wheel and drove out, determined to put an end to the feral lord of the county and his heavy hand, once and for all.

  Chapter 22

  It didn’t help much that the winds had picked up and thick, dark clouds were gathering overhead, threatening to unleash one hell of a storm. Leaves rustled and trees swayed as she passed through the heavy iron gates, driving over the slate gray driveway and parking beside Andy’s sleek red Corvette. At least she knew he was home. Diana left her purse but tucked her cell phone in her pocket and lifted her leather case, carrying it up the wide stone steps and glancing at the wall of red roses that swept up the north wall of the house. It was stunning, as it appeared filled with hundreds of the sweet-scented flowers. Diana took a deep breath and knocked on the polished mahogany door with its insert of stained glass in the center. The door alone was a showpiece.

  A few seconds later it was opened, not by a servant but by Andy, and he glared with such fire that she had to fight not to take a step back. She tilted her chin up, determined to hold her head high.

  “Just what the hell do you think you’re doing here, Diana?” He stepped outside and grabbed her arm, pressing her against the outside wall. “I told you what would happen if I caught you here again.” He leaned in as if it were his right, his warm breath a whisper over her lips as he lifted her in his arms.

  Diana clutched his arm and dropped her leather case, pushing his shoulder back and sputtering, her heart and stomach flip-flopping over his arrogance. “Where are you taking me? Put me down.” She hit his arm as he started down the steps.

  “To the barn.”

  That was a splash of icy cold water, and she kicked and swung her fists, demanding he let her go. She finally bit his shoulder until he yelled and swatted her behind hard as he set her down, but he didn’t let her go.

  “Why, you little brat. You like it rough, and I know you want me. Don’t think I didn’t notice the way your nipples pucker. You want me as badly as I want you.” He ground out the words, gripping her shoulders harder than he needed to.

  “Would you stop manhandling me? I’m here on business.…”

  When he grinned and opened his mouth with what she knew was most likely a forthcoming sexually heated comment, she cut him off.

  “Not that kind of business. As I told you before, Andy, and I mean it, I will not be your whore. I’m here as a lawyer representing Bonnie Hays.”

  He groaned, cutting her off and throwing his hands in the air, shouting a string of vicious curses. “Well, of course you are. After all, you are a Claremont. I guess it was just a matter of time before you climbed on in the slums, protecting a whore with nothing but dollar signs in her eyes. Her only talent is how she performs on her back.” He leaned into her, about to grab her and shake her, but Diana stepped back out of his reach just as she heard
a vehicle squeal behind her and a door slam.

  “Get away from her, Andy,” Jed shouted, storming toward them, looking wild and out of control. He was wearing that damn rumpled cowboy hat as he glanced at Diana. “You okay?” he said, and she could only nod.

  He charged Andy, plowing into him and taking him down. She gasped when Andy rolled away and leaped nimbly to his feet like a big cat. Jed, too, his hat in the bushes, came up swinging and roared as he drove Andy into the back of Diana’s SUV. They both landed a punch on one another. Andy had a busted lip, and Jed a cut above his eye.

  Diana screamed and tried to jump in between them, but she was tossed back on the ground, landing hard on her bum.

  Stunned, Andy was beside her first, before Jed. “Diana, are you hurt?” Concern laced his tone. He really was worried about her.

  “Get your hands off her, Andy,” Jed shouted, and he helped Diana up, cupping her other elbow and pulling her off the ground.

  “Both of you, stop it.” Her hair had come loose and draped in her eyes. She tucked it behind her ear.

  “Stop it! I won’t have this here,” someone shouted from the porch. Diana jerked her gaze up at the distinguished graying man who was an image of Andy thirty years older. He was wearing denim jeans, a black shirt, and a fierce, shrewd look that had Diana swallowing the heavy lump suddenly jammed in her throat. This was not a man to be toyed with. As he strode down the stone steps, his eyes locked on to Diana and he stared at her with a series of emotions flashing across his face: shock, malice, and then hatred. This was Todd Friessen, the man who had tomcatted across this entire county, destroying women’s lives on a whim and for his own enjoyment.

  “I told you, Andy, to get rid of her. I don’t want her here to embarrass your mother or this family. Since you can’t follow a simple request, I’ll take care of it.” His sharp gaze never left Diana’s. There was ice in his eyes; although he was extremely handsome, she wondered what it was that had women flocking to him.